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Wednesday, February 22, 1911: It was so awful cold this morning. I got to school before the doors were unlocked. There I had to stand outside and freeze, but the door was unlocked before I reached that point. That glorious sister of mine is in bed now. I will soon follow. Rufus has her eyes on me. Perhaps she is guessing what I am writing. Today is Washington’s birthday. I didn’t forget it. Don’t’ you think I’m very patriotic?

Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:

A hundred years ago Washington’s Birthday was celebrated on his actual birthday (February 22)—though it’s obvious from Grandma’s diary entry that is wasn’t considered an important enough holiday for school to be canceled. In 1971 the holiday was moved from Washington’s actual birthday to the 3rd Monday in February—and in many states it is now called Presidents Day in honor of both Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays.

Hello

I look forward to sharing my grandmother's diary with relatives and friends. Helena Muffly (Swartz) kept a diary from 1911-1914. She was 15 years old when she began this diary. I plan to post these entries one day at a time—exactly 100 years after she wrote them. I hope you enjoy this glimpse back to a slower paced time.

The header is a picture of the farm where my grandmother lived when she wrote this diary. It is located in Northumberland County in central Pennsyvlania about a mile outside of McEwenvsille. My father said that the buildings look similar to what they looked like when he was a child.